More than fifty sports associations give rhythm to the life of the archipelago. A wealth for a territory of 6,000 inhabitants. But is Saint-Pierre and Miquelon well endowed financially to sustain its clubs? We’ll explain it to you.
Hockey, judo, swimming, skating, tennis, football, the choice is there when it comes to sports practice in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. We told you about it in the A La Une program on Thursday, November 21. An hour of live debate, devoted to one question: how to train future champions in the archipelago?
To answer this, we interviewed athletes and professionals, but also took stock of the financial aid available to the region. In Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, the State and the Territorial Community are both putting their hands in their pockets.
On the state side there are several devices. Associations can request subsidies from the FDVA (Association Life Development Fund), as well as the ANS, National Sports Agency. This year, around thirty associations applied to the ANS, they received nearly 700,000 euros. A large envelope of 648,583 euros, supplemented by a smaller one Sports State of 68,478 euros.
On the side of the Territorial Community, two aids are available, from which around sixty associations benefit in total:
- The first aid, that of the sports office, concerns sports clubs and the amount of subsidies is 120,000 euros
- The second is out of office. Aid of 275,000 euros which finances one-off sporting events such as the Coupe de France last October or more specific associations such as the Zygotos for example.
For 2025 the amounts allocated by the ANS remain unknown. For the Community, the amount of the envelopes should be maintained, Yannick Abraham, vice president, told us.
To continue running a club, you of course need sports educators. Here too the State participates. In the ANS envelope, part is intended to partially finance coaching jobs. Over the past four years, the trend has been downward. In 2024, 130,000 euros have been allocated to professionals. Between 2023 and 2024, more than 13,000 euros were allocated to the budget of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. In total in the archipelago, sixteen positions are maintained thanks to this aid.
Three other coaches are employees of the Territorial Community, these are Christine Légasse for the swimming club, Patrick Foliot for minor hockey and Jean-Louis Légasse at the tennis club.
If sports clubs wish to recruit a coach, they can also benefit from partial aid of 8,000 euros from the Territorial Authority. For the employment of a second coach, an additional 3,000 euros can be paid.
Note that this year, recruitment difficulties were significant. For the first time in its history, Butokuden Judo does not have a coach for the year.
Also read: Sports associations are desperately looking for educators or coaches
In terms of infrastructure, it is the Territorial Authority which manages the majority of sports facilities. As in France where 81% of infrastructure depends on local authorities. New infrastructure projects are also underway. A new cultural and sports center for 2027-2028, but also an extension of several hundred square meters for the leisure center in Miquelon. Planned amount of the operation: six million euros.
Each year the State also contributes to the financing. In 2024, 397,000 euros have been allocated to the archipelago.
Athletes are not forgotten by these financing schemes. Since 2013 the Territorial Community has offered scholarships for young athletes aged 12 to 25: an Excellence scholarship and a high-level scholarship.
In 2017, for example, karateka Naomi Haran was one of the two winners and received aid of 1,700 euros. Ten young people applied for these scholarships.
Also read: Aiming for high sporting level when you come from Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, dream or reality?
New this year, the scholarships have been increased: 2,500 euros per candidate. And yet, only three athletes tried their luck to finance their projects. One of the reasons for this drop in scholarship applications could be the argument of the development of leisure sport to the detriment of individual competitive desires.
Sport was the theme of the show A la Une, presented by Elise Marné, available in replay on our website and rebroadcast this Sunday, November 24 at 12:55 p.m. on SPM la 1re Télévision.
